Matt Mullin

Posted:
Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 3:08 AM

The dust hasn't quite settled in New York after the Yankees were swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Tigers.

One media outlet is suggesting that the Yankees make a deal with the Phillies, trading Curtis Granderson, a power hitting center fielder who would fill a need for the Phillies, for Darin Ruf, the reigning double-A MVP.

Granderson has a $13M option for 2013, making him affordable for the Phillies, while Ruf is a 26-year-old career minor-leaguer with no real position on the Phillies. In winter ball, Ruf is hitting .276 with four home runs in eight games.

It's not that Granderson can't cut down on his strikeouts and get back to being something closer to the player that finished fourth in the 2011 MVP voting. It's just that I don't believe the Yankees are going to commit to a long-term, highly-expensive deal to keep him after 2013, so the time is right to trade him.

Granderson makes a lot of sense for the Phillies, who desperately need power, as well as a center fielder, and they're still very much in a win-now mode, trying to cash in before their high-priced starting rotation gets too old.

...

At age 26, Ruf is not really a phenom, having developed his power gradually after being a 20th-round pick out of Creighton. The Phillies are converting him from first base to the outfield, and scouts believe he can play a serviceable left field.

His bat could be valuable to the Yankees in a part-time role in 2013, if he proves ready, and eventually he could become a mainstay in the lineup.

The Phillies might be reluctant to deal one of their few highly-touted prospects, but some scouts, pointing to his high strikeout total (102 K's in Double-A) aren't sold that Ruf will be able to put up big numbers against major league pitching. And Granderson could be a long-term answer in center for the Phillies if they're willing to commit financially.

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